1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus controlled by using parameters relating to a plurality of setting items, particularly to the electronic apparatus in which operability is improved when initializing individual setting items.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been widely known various electronic apparatuses for commercial and consumer use in which arbitrary parameters relating to a plurality of items for controlling the electronic apparatuses are input to be set by a user using a numeric keypad or the like.
For example, an image switching apparatus called a “switcher” is known as a kind of electronic apparatus for broadcasting use. The switcher is an apparatus for selecting a video signal among video signals input from two or more channels (video signals from video camera, VCR, etc). Then, the switcher outputs a video signal to which an effect was applied to cause a transition from one video signal to the other video signal in the selected two video signals.
For example, with respect to an effect, there has been commercialized a switcher capable of arbitrarily inputting parameters by a numeric keypad on a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen, relating to a plurality of setting items including the following items:    (1) effect pattern; and    (2) item relating to color of boundary line between two video signals on which transition is made.
A user can arbitrarily set those items to operate the switcher. Subsequently, the user may intend to initialize any of the setting items (for example, the user may intend to return the parameters to the initial values set in a factory beforehand). Accordingly, a switcher capable of performing an operation to initialize individual setting items on the GUI screen has been commercialized.
FIG. 1 shows such GUI screen. A “Default Recall” button for the initialization is provided in the upper right on the screen. A plurality of icons indicating grouped setting items are displayed in a main menu column in the center of the screen. An “Eff Ptn” among the icons displayed is an icon relating to the above-described effect pattern (1). A “Color” is an icon relating to the above-described color of the boundary line (2).
An operational procedure for initializing individual setting items on the GUI screen is explained in the followings. For example, in the case where a user initializes the setting regarding the color of the boundary line, the icon “Color” on a main menu is pushed. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, three icons “Lum”, “Sat” and “Hue” that represent luminance, saturation and hue, respectively are displayed in the lower side on the screen.
For example, in the case where the luminance of the boundary line is initialized, the “Default Recall” button is pushed, and then the icon “Lum” is pushed, thereby returning a parameter of the luminance of the boundary line to the initial value. Similarly, the “Default Recall” button is pushed, and then the icon “Sat” is pushed, thereby returning a parameter of the saturation of the boundary line to the initial value, and further similarly, the “Default Recall” button is pushed, and then the icon “Hue” is pushed, thereby returning a parameter of the hue of the boundary line to the initial value.
However, such electronic apparatus has a number of functions other than the function described in this specification. Therefore, it is difficult for an operator practically using the apparatus to know all the functions and operational methods. Accordingly, an electronic apparatus in which an operational method of a desired function can be found easily without thoroughly reading an instruction manual has been desired.
Such GUI screen shown in this specification is one of the solutions provided for the above-described problem, on which a string of characters that explains the functions, operational buttons and states of various graphics and character strings, and the like are displayed, thereby enabling the user to speculate the operational method only by viewing those.
Note that FIGS. 1, 2 and other attached figures show only a portion relating to characteristics according to embodiments of the present invention, however, a number of icons, buttons and the like are displayed in practice on the GUI screen of electronic apparatuses for controlling a number of functions. Accordingly, there may be the case where it is difficult for a user to find a desired icon or the like from the display of a number of icons and buttons, even if a string of characters are displayed to explain the function thereof.
In this regard, there is a solution of preparing a screen having a hierarchical structure. Specifically, upon specifying (pushing) an icon indicating a category that a user intends to operate, a new screen (window) is popped up and displayed. Hence, operational objects are narrowed down by focusing only within the popped-up display to be operated, thereby obtaining a user-friendly interface in which search time is reduced.
In the procedure of the above-described related art electronic apparatus, when initializing a parameter, an icon of the relevant parameter is pushed after the “Default Recall” button was pushed. Here, although the “Default Recall” button is being displayed constantly on the screen, there is such a problem of the purpose thereof and order of use not being clear for a user, when only viewing the screen.
In addition, in the case where a numerical value is input regarding a parameter (setting item), there is provided a method in which a numeric keypad is displayed with a pop-up by performing an operation that specifies the relevant parameter and then the numerical value is input by the numeric keypad to be determined. With learning the input operation using such numeric keypad, there may be still such a problem that it is difficult to assume the operation of “Default Recall” button of the above-mentioned related art and it is necessary to learn that operation separately.
Further, if a user pushes the icon “Fff Ptn” in the main menu on the GUI screen in FIG. 1 to initialize the setting that relates to an effect, then an icon “Ptn No” that represents a pattern of the effect is displayed on the lower side of the screen, as shown in FIG. 3.
However, originally there is no initialized state in the switcher regarding the effect pattern (in other words, only the effect whose pattern number is input as a parameter by a user is implemented and an initial value of the pattern number does not exist). Therefore, the initialization thereof may not be performed in the above-described switcher.
However, a user is not informed of such case on the screen. Therefore, the user is convinced that setting of the effect pattern is initialized when the icon “Ptn No” is pushed after the “Default Recall” button was pushed, however, the effect pattern is not changed in practice.
As described above, it is difficult to distinguish an item having an initialized state (having an initial value in a parameter) from an item not having an initialized state out of a plurality of setting items in the initializing GUI screen for a commercialized related-art switcher. Hence, an unnecessary operation may be performed on the item not having an initialized state, which results in less operability.
It should be noted that Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H7-297891 (paragraph numbers 0011 to 0014, FIGS. 2 to 4), for example, discloses a technology in which the operability is improved by changing the function of a soft key in response to a shift of the electronic apparatus from a default (initial) state to the next state. However, the technology is not proposed to improve the operability when the initialization is performed, but is proposed to improve the operability when gradually parting from the initial state. No documents have been found in a search regarding technology by which the operability is improved when the initialization is performed.